Customer Reviews

Soul in Wonder

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a journalist, there are few times when I am rendered speechless. Listening to Miten, accompanied by his life partner Deva Premal offer up heart wisdom in the form of song and story in the newly released CD "Soul in Wonder", had that impact on me. Now that I have regained my ability to express, it comes through me to say that this CD is a constant companion in my car, I play it in a workshop I offer and the participants clamor to know "Who is that?" and recently in my role as an interfaith minister, I played two of the pieces "Fly High" and "Free Spirit (Ashes to Ashes)" during the memorial service for the father of another minister. All who were present were deeply moved by the music. The Van Morrison song "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart" would be a lovely wedding accompaniment as well. The Sanskrit chants "Twameva" and "Lokah Samasta", familiar to me as a practicing yogini, transport me as if on a magic carpet. "Through the Eyes of An Angel" is Miten's unabashedly sentimental tribute to his beloved Deva whose cloudless sky-blue eyes indeed had me mesmerized when we met back stage at a concert this year. "Fly High" and "Awakening" often have me singing at the top of my lungs, left arm 'breezing' out the window as I drive. The soaring sounds of the Bansuri flute played by Nepalese flautist Manose, add a touch of magic that tickles the ear and the heart.

Deva and Miten are indeed Souls in Wonder, welcoming other Souls to sing along. This CD (and, in truth, all of the others they have created) is a must have for your collection if you are inclined to enjoy music that transcends genre.

Edie Weinstein-Moser

Kenny Loggins? I think the Amazon reviewer must have been listening to a different album than the one I'm playing right now. Soul in Wonder features some of Miten's most beautiful and intimate songs - Through the Eyes of An Angel is a wonderful song, full of evocative images of wood smoke, banyan trees, and holy rivers in the moonlight, while Humaniversal? Well, let me put it this way - I'm writing this while on a business trip to India and it is the only song that even begins to make sense of the enormous contrasts outside my hotel window. So don't be put off by the Amazon review - the chants with Deva Premal are great but so are the songs - highly recommended!

This CD is an absolute delight! The Amazon review seems strangely off the mark - Miten's deep and soulful compositions (and the reverent, personal, heart opening way they're sung) are some of the most lovely I've ever heard and of course Deva's voice is transcendently beautiful throughout. I especially feel gratitude for the penetrating beauty of the song Humaniversal, which I could listen to on repeat forever. . . I love how this music not only melts my heart and my spirit, but also inspires me with a gentle call to action in the world, to remember the places and people we might otherwise forget. . . Miten and Deva got it just right with Soul in Wonder - don't miss this one!

Wow!! Amazon needs to pick someone else for reviewing World Sacred Music ("Jokah Samastha"?). Miten was a little nonplussed, you can be sure. Soul In Wonder is a work that has been nurtured for more than a year; tracks that I thought were great were rewritten and recorded until every word, every note was a pure expression of this truly loving human being. And, at that, these tracks cannot bring to you the beauty of seeing, feeling them as they are performed live.

But, since I'm reviewing, my favorites are Awakening (which brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it), Lokah Samastha, Inarticulate Speech, Fly High and Through The Eyes of an Angel. I love the entire album; it speaks volumes to me and to my own life. But I have to point out what might appeal to others.

And that being said, please do not be swayed by the Amazon reviewer. Add this CD to your life; it is all about changes and fully embracing what this life gives you. In this case, a beautifully crafted and deeply moving set of songs. Dhanyavaad, Miten-ji.

Soul In Wonder... ahhhhhhh... a heart to heart transmission full of light and love and nourishment. From Eyes Of An Angel, reflecting the surprise and vulnerability of a heart that knows itself loved and loving, to the haunting tones of Lokah Samasta - an expression of universal compassion (may all beings be happy), to the rocking gospel beat of You Gotta Move, this new CD from Miten and Deva is such a gift.

Miten plays acoustic guitar and the clear tones blend so beautifully with the rich, soothing quality of his voice, Deva's voice in a golden dancing current, and the ever changing moods of Manose's bansuri flute.

I have many favorites, but top of the list is Fly High, an absolutely joyous anthem of liberation for all who have known that space of celebrating being in the world but not of it. Mandolin and flute weave an exquisite dance thru the wonderful chorus of voices - fly, fly high... let the earth touch the sky. Yes!

The CD closes with Free Spirit (Ashes To Ashes), which Miten wrote after a good friend left the body - it leaves me with gentle tears in the eyes and a deep sense of love and silence.

It is music you can listen to again and again and again, music that celebrates the many rainbow colors of the heart, music that indeed shares a sense of wonder as we all journey to oneness.

When you are bent on holding love,
You'll catch an emptiness.
It is impossible not to share love.

This music can be listened to endlessly because the love is present in it. It vents itself on a listener with every note, with every sound of the voices of Miten and Premal. Moreover this music is meditative. There is a peace and quiet of an early summer morning in it when in the clinking silence one can suddenly hear a chatoyant warbling of awakened birds. In this music one can feel a delicate aroma of blossoming-out flowers and dew drops making a brilliant display in the sun.

The "Soul In Wonder" is deprived of false significance. The musicians are very natural and ingenious while expressing their feelings and emotions. They are not ashamed of being romantic and loving persons. They just favour their listeners with the things they possess. And this is a precious gift, indeed, since it goes from the bottoms of their hearts.

Miten and Premal do not press towards announcing of some abstruse ideas or theories. They sing for they cannot help but sing. The musicians just try to express the things that overwhelming them. This is a boundless ocean. When listening to Miten and Premal you can sense salty splashes with your skin, to become engrossed into incoming dewy waves of the ocean.

The "Soul In Wonder" distinguishes by gentle excellent sounding. The album's creators aspired to give to the listener a possibility of enjoying of every nuance. And what is more the sounding of the "Soul In Wonder" can be characterized with the word "careful".

When you are sick and tired of everything, the life seems to be monotonous and nonsensical you ought to switch this album on. You will be able to look at the life afresh and to see bright, clean colours in such a humdrum surrounding reality.

The "Soul In Wonder" is a hymn to life, a voice of a real world.

All life is a motion....
To change together with it or to fade
There's no permanency in the world.

Serge Kozlovsky
[...]

P.S. Translated by Tatyana L. Permyakova.

I heard this CD in yoga class and asked the instructor what it was. I had to buy it. I listen to it almost every day. The songs are inspiring and range between folk and new age. Miten's style reminds me of early Paul Simon. I love his arrangements and vocals. It is a CD to listen to anywhere, anytime. My favorite tunes are Humaniversal and the Van Morrison song: Inarticulate Speech of the Heart. Get it. You won't regret it.

My husband and I love Deva! This CD is a bit different then her other solo albums, but just as beautiful. That angelic voice shines through...we owe all of her CD's and love them!
Matter of fact, my 4 year old daughter signs along as she plays!
Thank you Deva and Mitten for your wonderful work...enhancing the daily lives by these soulful songs!

Reading the other reviews for this CD made me question if I really do have a heart or soul . But I DO ! HONEST I DO ! Music can bring me to my knees ,send me to different dimensions, open and inflate me, send me dreaming,and a thousand other things .I have had this CD for over six months and have honestly tried to like it .(When I pay 20 bucks for something, I hope to like it) While listening to a few of the songs I have involuntary flashbacks of Donnie Osmond, sometimes The Partridge Family.That might be a good thing for some people, but not for me . Inarticulate speech of the Heart may of worked for me had I not heard Van Morrison sing it FROM the heart insted of this pureed pablum version of it . Also the flow from one song to another is a bit schizophrenic .It leaves me confused as to the purpose of these sounds . I have the sneaking suspicion , could it possibly be be M-O-N-E-Y ?

Alas I am not impressed..Miten needs to stick to PLAYING not singing..Deva is a profound singer and thus SHE should be the lead in any of their ventures..lol!
OOPS! some may get upset with this review, however I have made a promise to myself that I would post only genuine reviews and not those that aim to please..:)))
Blessings,
Vesna